Last summer, there was a survival program about making a global girl group with Korean and Janpanese trainees who want to be singers. It was a big cosmopolitan hit, therefore many people are more interested in Japanese songs than before. They wish and think J-POP should be broadcast publicly, but it can't be played on public TV.

Radio can't play J-POP either, so people complain. The reason why J-POP can't be played on public TV is due to Japanese lyrics. One public broadcasting company considers incongruous nature of the song, so if a K-POP or J-POP song includes Japanese lyrics, the song can't be broadcast publicly. In a similar way, the reason why public TV prohibits these songs is due to national policy. The government tried to reject Japanese culture for people who have anti-Japanese sentiment, and to protect Korean culture.

After that, when people's anti-Japanese feelings start to reduce, the society also starts to accept the culture. However, there was a problem regarding distorted Japanese history textbooks so the acceptance of Japanese culture entered a period of stagnation. After that time, the culture was begun to be accepted like before.

However, Japanese songs can still not be broadcasted publicly. This regulation has reduced nowadays, but public broadcast companies still obey by themselves. There are some examples of songs which includes Japanese lyric that can not be played on public TV. A represetative example is one artist's last song. The song included Japanese lyrics so the song can't play on public TV.

How about cable TV? Can the song be play on a cable broadcast? The cable broadcast can play the Japanese song. Some Japanese singers have come on cable TV in the past. The program which makes the global girl group is more popular and famous nowadays, therefore it can be an example. You can find some Japanese thrainees singings J-POP on the program.

In summary, songs which include Japanese lyrics can be play on cable TV, but they can not be played on public TV. The reasons initally were anti-Japanese feeling and national policy, etc. Although the policy has reduced, public broadcasters follow the rule themselves. This policy has to reduce because of cultural exchange between Korea and Japan.

L.L.F reporter You-Min Kim